This is for you. Your twenty minute bubble bath, your glass of wine, a weekend away with your spouse.
These are things you need. You need them just as badly as your children need cuddles and story time. Sometimes these things are what make you a good mom.
Now I may not need a glass of wine, I may not always have a twenty minute bubble bath, and I certainly do not get as much time alone with my spouse as I wish I could. But if you do, I applaud you.
Good for you, for taking the time you need to reboot, for taking the time you need in order to be a good parent. Do not let anyone feel like you don't deserve that.
I know you feel like you are making mistakes. I know you feel like you don't deserve to have wants. I know I don't.
But you do, and I support you. And millions of other moms support you. At times we miss the old "me", we wonder what it would be like to go shopping alone and sleep in. We wonder what it would be like to make breakfast for no one but ourselves. I don't judge. There are times I roll out of bed at 6 am and wonder when the next time will be that I get to think about myself. There are nights where I can't possibly be patient for one more question because I've already answered 5000 questions that day. There are days where I sit in my van listening to music wishing for just one silent moment as the kids shout in the background.
I did go away, I got some much needed rest. My children were loved and cared for while I was gone. They missed me and I missed them. I napped in the afternoon and only got food for myself. And I missed the busy, I missed making food for all of my children. But I needed it.
Yes, I felt guilty. And I received many comments about how another mom couldn't do that, another mom would feel too guilty, and didn't I feel guilty. The answer was yes, I did, but there is other important things in my life. My relationship, my health, my sanity. They are not MORE important than my children. They are never more important than my children. But they are important.
So moms, take the time you need to be great. Take the time you need to answer 5001 questions patiently. Take that time you need, to provide your children with a patient and loving mom. They know you love them. They know they are important. And they will never second guess that.
XOXO,
The Guilty Mom
